September 13, 2011

New Legislation Prohibits Sale And Possession Of Shark Fins

Campaigns to save shark species have progressed in the past week as the California State Senate passed a ban on the sale and possession of shark fins last Tuesday.

Shark fins could cost as much as $600 per pound and is a billion-dollar global industry.

Shark fins are harvested from sharks in the ocean by catching the species, and then cutting off their fins, only to toss them back into the ocean for the animals to bleed out and die.

"Since the 1970s the populations of several species have been decimated by over 95%. Due to the clandestine nature of finning, records are rarely kept of the numbers of sharks and species caught. Estimates are based on declared imports to shark fin markets such as Hong Kong and China," stopsharkfinning.net said on its website.

The California Shark Protection Act bans the distribution and possession of shark fins in California. The new law also aims to help restore the shark population in the ocean.

"California is a market for shark fin and this demand helps drive the practice of shark finning. The market also drives shark declines. By impacting the demand for shark fins, California can help ensure that sharks do not become extinct as a result of shark Finning," states the legislation.

California is the biggest importer of shark fins in the U.S. and most come from Hong Kong.

"California is a market for shark fin and this demand helps drive the practice of shark finning. The market also drives shark declines. By impacting the demand for shark fins, California can help ensure that sharks do not become extinct as a result of shark Finning," according to the legislation.